Until You Need Me
by lilrubydevil
Summary: Jou’s job was a temporary one. He had planned on leaving for a new job after two months to work in the US, but things have changed. He can’t leave now. Not when he loves Seto and… he’s almost sure that Seto loves him.
1. From the Present Back to the Past

If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would not have needed to study for finals now would I? I would have already been rich! But sadly, I don't, so until I am, I'll have to study for finals again and again…

* * *

Jou's job started out as a temporary one, just until he got the one he really wanted. He had planned on leaving after two months to work in the US, but things have changed. He couldn't leave now. Not when he lovesSeto and… he's almost sure thatSeto loves him.

* * *

**Until You Need Me**

_From the Present Back to the Past_

_

* * *

_

He had always liked him, that's a known fact. Even if you were not in high school with him, you could see twenty-one year old Katsuya Jounouchi's wistful looks and glances at the certain CEO he just _happens _be falling for, faster and faster each day at work when Seto Kaiba was not looking. And if you were unfortunate to end up at that crappy school Domino High with them, you would see it's even _more _obvious. Jou—Katsuya preferred this name, insisting 'Katsuya' was too long—always found someway to talk to him, even if it was to argue.

It's funny. Normally, if someone tried to pick a fight with Jou, he would just ignore him and walk away. But with Seto Kaiba, that was another story. He not only stuck around in the same room with him but even argued back, exchanging childish insults time and time again. Anyone who knew Jou would realize that there _must _be some reason why he always stayed to fight back with Seto, but no one knew.

Well, no one knew but him.

Katsuya hurried across the street, just barely managing to cross the street without getting run over by this obnoxious teenager with a blonde bimbo. He continued walking aimlessly, but he was still very involved in his thoughts and in his mind. He couldn't help but think and dwell over a certain dilemma he had at the current moment…

* * *

_Several Weeks Earlier…_

"Mr. Jounouchi, you are aware that although you are a highly candidate to get this job in the US, there is little to no chance you might get it, due to the lack of business skills you have acquired…"

Jou leaned forward in his chair, staring at the middle aged balding man who was scratching his head. "What are you talking about? I've studied all the classes necessary though! And more! I meet all the requirements didn't I? Right? Oh no…"

The man nodded sympathetically. "I understand, but you clearly have no experience in working at a major corporation and we are afraid that we cannot take that chance."

"Oh, so I don't get it?" he asked dejectedly and sighed in defeat. He should have known this was coming. Every single bad thing _always _seemed to happen to him. First his parents get divorced and his mother move halfway across the world, then his father got struck with cancer which made it even _more _important to Jou to get this job to pay for all the treatments, Serenity deciding that she no longer needed her big brother and completely ignored his last six letters and phone calls, and now this…

Jou leaned back depressed. He looked at the clock, 3:25. He had been waiting for this job interview ever since eight in the morning, losing the chance to eat breakfast and lunch just for a chance and for what? Nothing, absolutely nothing, that's what, just a chance to get rejected again. What a waste of time and stress. How could he ever tell his father that he was not able to get it…?

Sensing his disappointment, the vice president cracked a smile. "Tell you what? I'll hold the spot. We don't need it filled until the next two months or so. If you get a job working at a major company such as Apple or Microsoft for at least a month, you'll be hired immediately."

Jou brightened, smiling automatically. "Really? You would do that?"

"I know how hard it was for me to get this job where I am. Everyone deserves a chance and I got a good feeling about you. Take it, son, and do not make me regret my offer."

"I won't! I promise!" _I will get this job, no matter what it takes… even it kills me…_

_

* * *

_

Unfortunately, it was easier said than done. He was shut down every time and it had been a week since his interview. It was all for the same reason: He was too inexperienced. His resume impressed them enough to let him in the door, but in the end, it was his job record that got him out the door.

Sad, Jou continued to walk, passing a newspaper stand. He decided to check the jobs section to see what was there to offer, you know, just in case…

He paid quickly and flipped through the pages with a new feeling of hope surging through his veins. His heart rose when he saw a huge ad saying, "HELP WANTED" but then dropped.

It was for a job at the Kaiba Corporation…

It was the most successful technology company to ever be started. Of course, everyone knew how huge that company is, even bigger than Apple _and _Microsoft combined. It never had any rival rise up enough to meet their sales at anything. Anything they could do, KC could do it ten times better and more efficiently.

Jou continued to stare at it. Scanning the ad, it seemed almost perfect. Twenty dollars per hour, part time, and even their own little office. Sounded great, Jou knew he had to at least try.

However…

Kaiba Corp.

Kaiba.

_KAIBA!_

Jou groaned. It was run by no other than the infamous Seto Kaiba, the youngest CEO and the richest. He was a secretive man, always keeping to himself and never really bothering to have any relationships with _anybody_, other than his little brother Mokuba and even then, hardly anyone knew about Mokuba, Seto had a very good way to keep him away from the media. He was also the most wanted man currently ever since his company took off. He started only when he was eighteen after he graduated from Domino High, the same high school Jou went to.

The only reason how come he knew about Mokuba was because he frequently heard Seto on the phone with him at lunch while he was sitting by himself, typing up something. Seto was always a mysterious person, unwilling to talk to anybody at school. He had many rumors going around about him, but nevertheless, being Seto Kaiba, he merely only had to flash his deadly glare and it would all stop. Everyone knew not to be on the wrong side of Seto Kaiba. He had the worst temper Jou knew and he was probably the coldest heartless person ever known to walk the earth. The only soft spot was Mokuba, and no one could get near him.

Somehow, Seto always found someway to distance himself from any live human being. The only person he ever really associated with in high school was the teachers when he absolutely had to talk to them and… well, when he wanted to make fun of Jou.

Jou had no idea why, but Seto always went out of his way to make him feel uncomfortable, unwanted, unloved, not special, or any nasty feeling in the world. He always insisted on calling himself Jou's _master _and Jou the _puppy dog_ and other names he didn't really like. Even though Jou knew he could handle it (hell, he got it from his mother all the time in his childhood), he had no idea why it always got to him and why he always had to care. He did not understand why he always had to defend himself and somehow fight back… He always did fight back…

And it could be that little tiny fact that he had a crush on him and that was the only way he ever got a chance to talk to him… but that couldn't be the only reason right? Other than the reason to actually be near him and to even get on top of him when they're rolling around in the grass fighting?

"Are you going to move or what?"

An impatient lady beckoned him to move and Jou hastily moved to the right, giving her room to pass by. He had been so involved in thinking about Seto Kaiba, he didn't even notice he was blocking the way. He continued to walk, leaving the newspaper behind and thinking about his options. He really had nothing to lose by applying (except his dignity maybe, and his pride) and surelySeto still didn't have that grudge against him? They must have grown up over the years and matured…

* * *

"You want _me_ offer _you_ a job?"

Jou winced at the cruel voice of who else but Seto Kaiba. Seto was at this desk, and dropped the phone when he heard Jou barely manage to say the words, "I want to apply for a job". When he first walked in, Seto showed no recognition of remembering him at all even though Jou remembered him. He was still on the phone, growling dangerously at the person on the other line so badly that Jou felt sorry for him.

Looking at him, Jou could tell that he hadn't really changed much since high school. Yup, still had that glare and that scowl and smirk of his, that much he could tell right off the bat. He still had those icy cold blue eyes that both girls and guys fell head over heels for. Yes, his hair was still not out of place and looked, well, virtually as perfect as it possibly could be, just covering his eyes in the right ways.

Although… if Jou had it his way, he would probably brush it off so he could see more of Seto's blue eyes but that's not the point…

Standing in front of him, feeling completely vulnerable, made Jou travel back to the days in high school when he still had that mega crush on him. Yeah, he definitely remember the feeling unfortunately.

This was not good.

Seto had dropped the phone the instant Jou murmured the words. He stared at Jou with a shock of disbelief, and then yelled quite loudly, "You want _me_ to offer _you _a job?" so loudly that the people in the first floor could hear them. This told Jou thatSeto _probably _remembers him now, why else would he say _no _so quickly?

Seto looked at him for a few more seconds before remembering the phone. He picked it up and said murderously, "I'll deal with you later" and hung up. Then he took the time to type something else on the computer and then turned to face his high school classmate. The annoyance in his face and the deadly look in his eyes was enough evidence to prove thatSeto definitely remembered him.

Uh oh.

"Yes?" Jou said shyly and nervously?

Seto's eye twitched—so Jou thought—and Seto glanced down at his résumé briefly then tossed it aside on the floor carelessly. "Not impressed. Go find somewhere else _dog_, this is not the animal pound you know, this is a business."

The résumé landed on Jou's feet. Something inside of him must have triggered his old feelings of rage in the past because he _refused_ to walk away without getting that job. Jou narrowed his eyes just as brutally as Seto did and asked in a very, very forced casual, yet polite at the same time, way. "Why not?"

Seto, who had resumed typing, didn't even bother to look up to answer, "You're not worth my time, puppy dog. Go to the animal shelter, they must need help there."

Twitch, twitch. This time, it was Jou's eye, not Seto's. He balled his hands into two fists ready to fit again back when they were teenagers. He counted in his head from one to ten and then breathed. "Kaiba, please give me a job."

"No."

Twitch. Jou inhaled then exhaled. "Kaiba, I really need this job. Please, consider me at least."

"No."

Twitch, twitch. Jou opened his mouth to say something but then he closed it. "You know what? I don't care. I don't," he paused to pick up his résumé off the floor, "need your stinking job. I," he grabbed his other paper, "don't need to be part of this lousy snobby company," stopped to pick up his briefcase and swung in on his back, "and I _don't _need to beg _you_ no matter how badly or desperately I may need this," he finally said, finishing the sentence through clenched teeth.

As he made his way to the door, and was ready to leave and never return, he heard Seto

"Why?"

Jou stopped in his tracked and turned around. "What do you mean _why_? Since when did you care about my reasons for doing this Kaiba?"

"Why do you need this job?" he asked, ignoring his last comment. By this time, the computer was forgotten and Seto had gotten out of his seat and staring at his wall that was filled with many certificates and diplomas, saying it as if they were friends for a long time in a conversation.

"Because I need the experience," Jou said bluntly and sighed. He closed his eyes, thinking about his father and him lying in a hospital bed. He opened them again and stared straight into Seto's dead cold eyes. "Kaiba, I need this for my old man. He's old now. He needs help. I'm all he's got. He has no one else." He shrugged, not seeing what he wanted to see in Seto's blue eyes. "It's okay, I'll find something else."

Jou turned around and Seto had suddenly replied, "You're hired."

Jou swirled back around and saw Seto back behind his desk, typing away as he had done before. Jou stared in disbelief, not believing what he had just heard. "Wh-what did you say?"

Still typing, he answered, "You're hired. You start Monday morning at nine in the morning. If you're late the first time, I dock you money from your paycheck. Late the second time, you're fired. I don't like excuses so don't bother coming up with them because I won't believe it. Do not ever come to my office unless I need to sign a legal document, unless someone telephoned me, or to bring me coffee and lunch. I like my coffee black by the way."

Digesting this information, Jou nearly squealed and wanted to jump up and down for joy like a child but stopped himself just in time. "Thank you so much… Kaiba…san…"

Seto waved his hand at him, motioning that he was done with Jou and just as Jou had decided he should leave, he changed his mind and stood there, staring at Seto for another minute or so. When Seto looked up at him, not hearing the door close behind him, he askedSeto one simple question.

"Why did you change your mind?"

Seto folded his hands on this desk and shut his eyes. He opened them and replied, "I know how it feels to be relied on by someone you love and care about. I would do anything for Mokuba, just like you would for your father, pup." He turned his chair around to face the window, away from him. "You should leave now, I'll have your office set up."

Jou decided to ignore the 'pup' comment and left the room happily. He got his job.

And it began on Monday.

* * *

-TBC-

A brand new story by yours truly, hehe! This first started out as a one-shot but then I decided that I have enough of those planned (in my head right now) so I decided to give it a shot and maybe if I'm lucky, this would be as good as **The Good Kind of Losing**, which I'm afraid, is probably the best I'll ever do…

Oh yeah, I totally got distracted there, reading a US WEEKLY… lol, okay anyways, the usual babblings… leave me a review and tell me what you think of the story (the good and the bad, I'm sure I can take it) and I'll love you for LIFE!

-lilrubydevil-


	2. Sleeping Into Another Questionable Dream

Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, so get off my back _lawyers._

_

* * *

_

Jou's job started out as a temporary one, just until he got the one he really wanted. He had planned on leaving after two months to work in the US, but things have changed. He couldn't leave now. Not when he loves Seto and… he's almost sure that Seto loves him.

* * *

**Until You Need Me**

_Sleeping Peacefully into Another Questionable Dream_

_

* * *

_

Jou looked down at his outfit and noticed that he was dressed in a puppy dog costume, much like the one that Otogi had made him wear. Every time he kept trying to get out of it, he would look up and see sneers and dirty looks from people in the street. He started to sweat when he saw Seto's corporation building and couldn't help but wonder how he wasn't there. He _knew _he had to be there on time, but for what? He couldn't remember.

Then, Jou turned around and saw Seto sitting down on a chair and all of the sudden, everything else just seemed to disappear. It was only him—still in his dog suit—and Seto.

Suddenly, Jou felt a strong urge to go up to the young CEO and hug him, as if to thank him for giving him something he desperately needed. Jou's cheeks blushed red slightly and Jou decided to give him a hug after all... maybe even _more _than just as a hug.

Just as Jou was going to do so, Seto looked up at him and smiled—a real smile. Seto whispered to him, "_I need to confess something..." _As Jou leaned forward to hear what Seto wanted to tell him, he soon heard...

_Beep beep! Beep beep!_

Jou groaned as his hand fumbled around, finally pressing the "off" button on his alarm clock. He sat up immediately, rubbing his eyes sleepily, still thinking about the weird dream he had. Jou shrugged, deciding to ignore it. _Probably old feelings for him_, Jou thought, although his heart did a little _thump _and started to pound harder as he thought of what would have happened afterwards.

Finally getting up, Jou hurried to the bathroom to wake himself up, by splashing cold water on his face before brushing his teeth. It was the first day after all and he knew that he needed to be the best he could be to prove himself worthy of the job that Seto had graciously—yet somewhat meanly—gave to him.

Scratching his head, he went to his closet and started to think about what to wear. During his visit to Kaiba Corp that Friday, he noticed that a lot of people were dressed pretty casually, except the secretary who looked about eighteen and was dressed to impress.

Jou knew that he could wear the blue polo he originally planned, but as his arm reached for the polo, his thoughts drifted back to the dream and changed his mind. Instead, he quickly grabbed a formal button down black shirt and matching pants to go with it.

Maybe his outfit would make Seto take him more seriously.

* * *

"One minute late, puppy. You're lucky you have some coffee with you, otherwise, you would have gone home today with twenty dollars less."

_A minute? Gee, I didn't think he cared all _that _much about being on time_. Jou gave Seto a weak smile and placed the coffee cup down. "Black, just like you like it," Jou paused and then added, "sir."

Seto raised an eyebrow at Jou, but accepted the coffee all the same. He turned his attention back at the computer screen and without looking at him, he handed Jou the huge stack of folders that was lying next to the coffee. "Have these graphed, according to the percentage of sales made within the last two weeks. Then I need you to call these numbers," handing Jou another folder, "and inform them of a new product available for testing. The information that you need is all in there. That should be enough, but if isn't, then come back for more, but I highly doubt that you'll be finished by nine o' clock. If not, just finish it tomorrow. Your lunch break only lasts an hour, so stay within in this area."

Seto finished quite quickly that Jou had to stop himself from saying, "Huh?" like the amateur he _knew _he was not. Jou lifted the stack but then found himself in a dilemma.

"Uh... Mr. Kaiba sir?"

Seto grunted in response and Jou continued on, thinking it meant he was listening.

"Err... where is my office?"

His typing got slower, but Seto still managed to reply in a cool voice, "Down the hall to the right. It was the only one available at such late notice."

_Down the hall to the... _"So that means, you and I are the only ones on this floor?" Jou asked in disbelief, not believing that Jou would be allowed to be working with such close distance to the CEO. In all the years he had known Seto, he knew that Seto always liked having space to himself. He never dreamed that he would be willing to share a floor with him.

This time, there was a stop to Seto's typing for a moment and then he resumed again without bothering to answer.

* * *

As it turned out, Seto was probably going to be right. By the time it was time for lunch, he noticed that he hardly made a dent in the work that Seto gave him, considering that he had to _more _than just a few phone calls. Besides the calls, he had to do the graphs, and there were _a lot_.

_What did you expect? You knew it would hard work if you work here, Jou._ Jou saved the file and closed it, thinking he should really eat. He hurried down the twenty-first floor, where there was a cafeteria.

He grinned as he helped himself to a huge helping of potatoes when he heard two people talking incredibly loud behind him.

"I hear that he hired someone new—even though I had applied for the job and I had been working here for over ten years. I'm sure I'm not the only one either. Why, three other guys came here last week, straight from Apple and Microsoft and were shot down instantly!"

Even to Jou's ears, it sounded as if the man who was speaking was disgusted. He started to wonder who it was when a woman's voice spoke up.

"And can you _believe _that Mr. Kaiba gave that new office away to him? You know, the one that is on the _same _floor as him, despite the fact there were many _other _rooms available? Hell, there's at least _ten _available ones on my floor alone! Can you imagine?"

The man's tone started to sound more and more annoyed. "He always prohibited us from even stepping _foot _on that floor and now he allowed this twerp—who is probably thirty or so—to do so? I wonder what this guy has."

Feeling a little bit queasy, he decided that he had enough helpings of potatoes and quickly moved away from the area, feeling not as hungry as he was before. He hurried back to his office with the plate in his hands and shut the door behind him.

Was it true? Did Seto really put him here on the same floor as him because there were no others? And did Seto really give him the job even though others applied for the same ones, including that _clearly _more knowledgeable man? After all, he worked there for so long, _surely _he would have had the advantage over him?

_Why? Why would he do that?_

Jou's eyes drifted to the stack of folders and then his eyes suddenly had the fierce look about it, just like the one in Battle City. Seto gave him a job to do for _some strange reason_. He mustn't let him down.

He sat back down and hurried back to work, leaving the plate of food untouched.

* * *

By the time Jou finished checking his organization work, he noticed that it was little over two in the morning, yet he didn't feel sleepy at all. If anything, he felt as happy as a little kid getting candy.

As he closed the door behind him and was readjusting his jacket collar, he noticed that Seto's light was still on. Curious and daring, he knocked on the door, but not getting an answer. He knocked again and opened the door quietly.

Seto was leaned back in his chair and sleeping softly against the delicate leather. His head was tilted silently to the left and his arms were relaxed and lying folded on his lap. His hair was not messy at all, but looked rather silky. Instead of the hair covering his eyes this time, it was brushed slightly back, revealing his eyes a little bit more, even though it was not open.

His computer was still on and the blinds were still opened. From where Jou was standing, Jou could see the moon shining and wondered how Seto could sleep with so much light on. Even his lamp was on next to him.

_He must have closed his eyes for just a second. _Jou noticed that Seto had lost the hard, cold look of his and instead, was smiling dreamily, as if he was remembering and reliving a memory. Jou couldn't help but smile at this picture.

Noticing that the couch was only a few feet away, he walked up to him and pushed the chair slowly towards it, moving it so that Seto couldn't feel it and wake up.

When the chair was close enough, he moved Seto from the chair to the couch, laying him down face up and stretching out his legs. _He must have been really tired if he didn't wake up during all that_.

Jou took off his jacket and being extremely careful and gently, he placed his jacket over the sleeping man, covering his arm and body. He shut the blinds and turned off the computer, careful not to wake him up.

Before turning off the main light, he turned back to look at Seto and found himself still smiling. "Good night... _Seto_."

With that, he turned off the lights and closed the door quietly.

* * *

-TBC-

Whoa... it's been a while since I updated this story! XD Just like me to forget about something like this and for that, I apologize. Most of the reasons why it took so long was because I didn't know how to continue it until today... what a _long _break, I hope people still read this...

Anyways, leave your comments by clicking the GREATEST button in the whole wide world. I'll be sure to update within a week. Okay, maybe two weeks. But I promise it'll be quicker this time.

Oh yes, I have a new livejournal up that is going to be keeping track of my stories/updates and stuff. It's my homepage unless someone can teach me some HTML to put it on my profile? Check it out XD

-lilrubydevil-


	3. Lying, Obsessing, and Just Being Stupid

If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would not be begging my mom to lend me some money. Therefore, I must not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

Jou's job started out as a temporary one, just until he got the one he really wanted. He had planned on leaving after two months to work in the US, but things have changed. He couldn't leave now. Not when he loves Seto and… he's almost sure that Seto loves him.

* * *

**Until You Need Me**

_Lying, Obsessing, and Just Being Stupid_

_

* * *

_

It was the sun's rays that woke him up at first, and then the birds' cheerful chirpings. Seto groaned, feeling rather comfortable and not wanting to quite move just yet, figuring that since his alarm clock hadn't gone off yet, it must not be time to do so. However, knowing that he had to get back to Kaiba Corp and finish typing up the reports, his eyes fluttered open lazily and Seto expected to see his blue covered walled room. Much to his shock however, the first vision he saw was his desk, covered with papers scattered all over the place.

Seto rubbed his head, wondering how come he never made it back home last night. It was not unusual for the overworked CEO to accidentally spend the night here at Kaiba Corp because of his work, but normally, he would have fallen asleep at his desk, leaving whatever he was working on untouched until the next morning in which Seto would resume working on.

He sat up and noticed for the first time what was covering him. He was bewildered as he picked the jacket up and carefully examining, trying to find a clue as to whom it belonged to. He frowned as he tried to remember what happened last night. He remembered feeling more stressed than usual and feeling frustrating... he was also feeling really tired too and his eyelids were drooping...

But it didn't make _sense_. He was supposed be at his desk, with all the equipment and lights still turned on, _not _at the couch, lying down in such a cozy position. He frowned—annoyed that whomever moved him must have came into his room while he was asleep, wanting _something_, but mostly, he was amazed at the idea of having someone care enough for him to have moved him to a more comfortable place to sleep on. It was really thoughtful of him, judging by the style of the jacket, to do something like this.

Seto's hand dug into a pocket and pulled out an identification card, a card that was issued to everyone that worked at Kaiba Corp that gets the employee into the cafeteria for free food every day. Seto's eyes widened as he saw the name of it.

Katsuya Jounouchi.

* * *

Jou poured some coffee into a cup, accidentally spilling some, making him wince in pain as the hot liquid touched his fingers. After he wiped his fingers dry, he cautiously picked it up, heading across the hall, and knocked on the door until he heard a voice say loudly, "Come in." Jou went inside, surprised to see Seto stop typing to watch him come in. Jou took it as a good side and placed the coffee on his desk. "Good morning, Mr. Kaiba," Jou greeted dutifully.

Seto gave Jou a typical greeting, which was nothing. As Jou rearranged the coffee cup to be farther away from the edge, Jou noticed that he had changed out of his outfit he was wearing yesterday into a nice black button down shirt, looking still very professional. Jou felt his cheeks blush a bit red. He looked professional, but hot at the same time. He quickly shook away the thought. "Do you need anything else, sir? I finished all the work you gave me yesterday already."

If his boss was impressed, he did not show it. His blue eyes merely flickered with surprise before Seto cleared his throat and said, "Eager for to please your master, I see," which Jou had to fight back from responding in a matter that could easily offend or amuse Seto.

Seto started to reach for another folder sitting on his desk nearby, but paused halfway. Instead, he stood up and Jou's eyes followed him, watching as Seto grabbed Jou's jacket from the couch, smoothing it out a bit. "I need you to find out who this belonged to. Ask them to come see me immediately," were his instructions, handing the piece of clothing to Jou, who looked stunned at the command given to him. Jou opened his mouth to say that the jacket belonged to him, but then closed it.

Seto was a very smart person. He probably figured out that whoever put the jacket over him was the person who also moved him to the couch. Jou was almost sure that Seto would want an explanation. Truth was that Jou really didn't know how to mask his reasoning behind doing what he did well enough without Seto suspecting he was lying. And knowing Seto, he would probably condemn him for entering his office without permission, especially so late.

Perhaps reading his mind, Seto, who had sat back down in his chair, raised an eyebrow and said, "Were my words not clear enough or is there something you wanted to say, perhaps tell me?"

Jou, who at first wanted to inform Seto that the jacket belonged to him, quickly shook his head. "No sir, it was very clear. I'll try my best," were the words that came out of the blonde's mouth. Jou couldn't help but notice Seto's stare at him. "Do you need me to do anything else?" he quickly added, hoping that Seto did not hear the lie behind his words.

Seto finally looked away and all he said were, "The green folder. Finish it by today."

* * *

_Liar. You're such a huge liar sometimes._

Jou unlocked the door and let himself in, still holding his jacket in one hand and the folder in the other. Jou placed the jacket carefully on the stand and sat down, looking around his office that needed to be decorated soon, for it looked quite bland and ordinary and even empty. Jou sighed as he opened the folder, reading its contents, his mind hardly paying attention. Although his eyes were staring at the words, he was thinking about last night, why he did what he did. Why did he do it?

_Because if he stayed like that all night, his back would hurt_, he reasoned in his mind, also remembering the face Seto had on when he was sleeping. But what if Seto found out it was him? Jou had no intention of coming clean and telling Seto that he was the one that did it, but surely... Seto would find out?

_Screw it, he'll never know_, Jou told himself as he turned on his computer. _He'll never know, and I'll never tell him. It's not as if it matters anyway, Kaiba wouldn't care if he did find out it was me._

_

* * *

_

Around twelve thirty, Jou found himself still working on the folder Seto gave him. His head started to hurt so he took a little break and reached into his drawers, taking out an Advil bottle. It wasn't going to him any good to work with a headache throbbing like crazy.

Just as Jou was finishing gulping down the pill with his now cold coffee that he brought in with him earlier, his office door sprung open and Jou heard an energetic voice cry out, "Oh my God, Jou, it's really you!"

Grinning, Jou stood up and walked over to the visitor. He gave him a brotherly hug and said in a cheerful tone, "What's up Mokuba?"

The last time Jou had seen Seto Kaiba's little brother was several years ago, before Jou had started college. Mokuba looked different from the ten year old kid Jou remembered. He was now taller, about the same height as Jou himself, with shorter hair. (Jou: _Took him a while to finally cut his hair_) He still had that childish aura about him, but maybe that's because Mokuba was younger than Jou was. Mokuba had traded in long sleeve shirts for more casual band T-shirts. That day, Mokuba was wearing an **Audioslave** T-shirt and jeans. Although the resemblance to Seto was slowly diminishing, Mokuba seemed to growing up into a very handsome young man.

Mokuba gave Jou the same grin. "Nothing much, nearly ready for college now, even though Seto insists that I'm still much too young and immature. I'm on my lunch break, I've got an hour before I have to get back to school, so I figured I would swing by to see if Seto was up for lunch. Would you like to come? I'm sure you're hungry as well...?"

Jou was about to decline the offer when he heard the other Kaiba brother say, "Mokuba, I'm ready," and appeared at Jou's doorway, looking at the office in a curious manner. "Not much of a decorator, puppy," he commented, his blue eyes roaming around, stopping when he noticed the jacket. He quickly blinked and suddenly announced, "Mokuba, let's go. I'm sure the puppy here has a lot of work to do."

"Awww, come on big brother," Mokuba pleaded brightly, "you're always so hard on your employees. Can he come with us? Please? I haven't seen Jou in forever!"

Even though Mokuba had grown and matured, he still resorted to using his childish pleading and eyes to try and get his big brother, Seto, to agree. Jou found it entertaining, watching as Mokuba continued listing reasons as to why Jou should join them.

"It's okay really... Kaib—I mean, your brother's right, Mokuba. I do have a lot of work to do and..."

"You can do it when you come back."

Jou gave Seto a surprised look. Seto, who had started to look very neutral like, just said, "Come on, let's go. Mokuba doesn't have all day."

Mokuba gave Jou a triumphant grin and hurried along, with Jou following right behind him.

* * *

As it turned out to Jou's horror, Mokuba had a car and decided that they should take two cars, just in case Mokuba had to run back to school in the middle of the meal. Mokuba suggested that Jou should ride with Seto, seeing how Jou didn't have his own ride. Besides, Seto's car had more room.

Jou could kill Mokuba for leaving him alone with Seto and Jou was sure Seto felt the same way. Jou was almost sure that Seto would rather jump of a building than drive Jou there, but not being strong enough to go against Mokuba, Seto silently agreed and got in the car, waiting for Jou to do the same.

The ride was silent so far. Apparently, the almighty Seto Kaiba did not like to listen to the radio and preferred silence, whereas Jou was starting to feel uncomfortable, wishing that there would be _some _noise to block out the uneasy and awkward silence. Jou glanced at the brunette and looked away before Seto could catch him. Jou sighed as he stared out the window, thinking about nothing in particular.

They were half way there when finally, "You don't have to call me _sir _and _Mr. Kaiba _all the time," Seto told him easily, not taking his eyes off the road, getting Jou's attention. "I find it quite weird for me to hear such polite words from your mouth after years of fighting back in school. In fact, I didn't know you were capable of being polite to me."

"Well, we're adults now aren't we? Besides, my fate is in your hands so I'm trying my best not to piss you off," Jou responded bluntly, still looking out the window. "You're my boss, so I'm just trying to show some respect. This isn't exactly high school anymore."

Seto stopped at the red light and scratched his jaw, clearly trying to think of something to say. Although this wasn't exactly what Jou categorized as a good conversation, he decided it could be worst. At least Seto was _trying _to be civil.

"Maybe this isn't high school anymore," Seto finally decided to say, "but hearing you call me _sir _is just plain weird. I rather have you acknowledge me as your master instead, puppy. After all, I _am _your master, even though you try to deny it."

Jou shot Seto an annoyed glare, despite the fact that he just said that he needed to show respect, much to Seto's delight. Seto continued, choosing to ignore Jou's glare and his lips curving into a very familiar smirk.

"Fine, can I go back to calling you just plain ol' _Kaiba _then? I really rather not go around calling you my _master_. Speaking of which, _I'm not a dog!_" Jou remarked loudly, his eyes starting to reveal the old fieriness which Seto used to see all the time in high school. Then, as if forgetting that he was annoyed at Seto, he exclaimed, "Hey, I think we're here!"

Seto turned into the parking lot and parked his car, not trusting the valet parking to park it. "Come on, I trust Mokuba's already inside waiting for us."

* * *

Jou gave the waiter a weak smile as he took the menu and opened it. His honey brown eyes opened widely as he noted the prices on each item. The drinks alone were about five dollars _without _refills. He hated to continue to look at the entrees and there was _no _way he could pay for it on his own!

He closed it, thinking maybe he should just have water and say that he wasn't hungry, even though he was. His stomach had growled three times already once they were inside, making Seto give him a weird look and making him comment on how much it must cost to feed a dog every day.

As if sensing his predicament, Mokuba quickly told Jou, "Don't worry about it Jou. Seto can pay for you, right Seto?"

"No really, I don't want to have to make your brother pay for anything. I'll just get water. I'm fine, really."

"Nonsense," Mokuba declared, "You're obviously hungry. We can't let you go starving, right Seto? _Right_?"

Seto looked up from his menu at Mokuba and then Jou, and then back down, stating in a very simple tone, "Mokuba, if you want to pay for Jou's meal, you can do that when you're finally working and paying things for yourself. But right now, since you're not and you've already had an advance in your allowance, I suggest you should stop offering to pay for others."

Jou's cheeks turned red from embarrassment, regretting coming and feeling ashamed of having put Mokuba into all this trouble. He felt like dropping into a big black hole and never appearing ever again. _Is Kaiba trying to make me feel bad about the fact that I cannot afford someplace like this? Because it's working, I just wish Mokuba hadn't pushed it._

Mokuba opened his mouth to protest, but Seto cut him off. "Besides," ignoring Mokuba's death glare much like his brother's, "the portions here are pretty big. I can order the filet mignon for two. He can share with me. It is much cheaper and more practical."

Mokuba gave his big brother a grin before excusing himself to go to the restroom, leaving a still very embarrassed Jou and Seto.

"Thanks Kaiba," Jou muttered, feeling truly grateful. Hey, it was better than nothing and if Jou was in his position, he wouldn't want to have to pay for someone else either. Seto Kaiba did not get rich by treating everyone to lunch after all. "Really, you don't have to do that."

"Well, I am," Seto answered in a tone that conveyed no emotions, signaling the waiter to order food. "I really did mean it when I say I'm not hungry. Mokuba's always trying to force me to eat when I don't feel like it, but that's Mokuba for you. And I'm not giving him a tip if he doesn't get over here soon," he added, casting the waiter one of those deadly glares as the waiter hurried to apologize for taking so long and finally asked to take their orders.

"My brother will order when he gets back," Seto informed the waiter coldly. "And when he does, I expect you to actually _be here_ to take it."

The waiter nodded and left, leaving an uneasy silence between them. Jou started to think of topics for conversation, but was grateful when he saw Mokuba coming towards their table. Now he didn't have to talk at all!

"Hey, Seto, Jou," Mokuba started, not sitting down. "I got a call from my friend and as it turns out, they need me to finish up a project... do you mind if I...?"

_Oh no. He's going to leave me and Kaiba alone. Me and Kaiba. ALONE. How can he do that? Is he trying to kill me? What am I going to talk about now? All alone. ALONE! _"No, go ahead," Jou said in a falsely happy tone that he did not feel. Inside his head, he was screaming, _Me and Kaiba ALONE. Alone. ALONE!_

Mokuba looked at Seto and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, big brother, they told me that they can handle it on their own and now—"

"It's all right, Mokuba. Just make sure you eat something."

With a quick hug and goodbye, Mokuba scrambled out, making a hasty exit. Jou watched for a few moments and then resumed his thinking about what to talk about. The restaurant they were at were notorious for taking a long time for the food to get here. Jou stirred his water with his straw, with a thoughtful look on his face. He could barely remember the last time he and Seto had a decent conversation that did not end up annoying or provoking the other. Normally, Jou could talk to anyone about anything, but Seto Kaiba was always the exception.

"Kaiba," Jou started, getting the CEO's attention, "now that we're... err... you know, _adults_, do you think you can quit calling me names now?"

"Hmph... maybe some other life time, puppy."

* * *

-TBC-

This was a particular hard chapter to write, especially the restaurant part. This chapter is probably pointless, but things will heat up eventually... well, I hope so anyway, my brain hasn't thought of an interesting chapter to put up next yet.

Anyway, I'm really, really happy to see that people still read this:hugs everyone: So amazing, you guys rock. I'm so thankful :wipes tears from eye: As always, I'm looking forward to your thoughts on this utterly weird chapter... :gives the computer screen a weird look:

-lilrubydevil-


	4. Denial, Depression, and Seto Kaiba

If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would have made sure that it was no longer PG! (And I would have made sure some... _other_ things too... but sadly, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh so until then, we'll have to be stuck with it XD)

* * *

Jou's job started out as a temporary one, just until he got the one he really wanted. He had planned on leaving after two months to work in the US, but things have changed. He couldn't leave now. Not when he loves Seto and… he's almost sure that Seto loves him.

* * *

**Until You Need Me**

_Denial, Depression, and Seto Kaiba_

_

* * *

_

Seto Kaiba was a hard person to read. Sometimes, he would be in a teasing mood like earlier when he kept calling him _puppy _and referring to himself as _his master_. If he was lucky, Jou could probably get Seto to give him the trademark grin, but most of the time, Seto Kaiba was an unapproachable person—both physically and mentally, much like high school. His mood swings were on and off; it's so hard to figure him out sometimes. You never know what he would say.

That was what pissed Jou off most of the time. Back in high school, when he really did want to get to know the young CEO, his words would somehow get twisted and misunderstood and always accused for some other meaning. It would usually get the brunette defensive and cause an argument, making the blonde angry and making him forget all about his attempts to get to know the other.

For a few minutes, no one spoke; there was an occasional sip of water and maybe tapping of fingers on the table, but nothing else. Jou started to feel that uneasy dread once more—wishing more than ever that either Mokuba had never ditched them or that he never agreed to come at all.

_I wonder why it took us several years to finally manage to sit down together at the same table and actually attempt to eat with each other_. Jou laughed awkwardly at his thought quietly, knowing the answer already. From the corner of his eye, he saw Seto raise an eyebrow at him, but kept silent.

Jou took a sip of his water to calm his nerves. His palms had started to sweat and kept wiping his hands on his pants. Jou had started to bite his lips nervously and his eyes darted dangerously everyone, avoiding Seto's gaze. To occupy his hands, he started to brush his blonde hair back, even though it fell back in its original position.

He felt as if he was on his first date—nervous, quiet, and unsure of what was to come. Of course, Jou knew that this was anything _but _a date, but still, the emotions and thoughts running through his mind and his stomach felt as if it was. Although part of Jou knew that there would never be an incident when he'll get a chance to have a first date with the CEO, the other part of him wished that there _would _be and that made his heart give a familiar _thump_ again.

Why did his heart only _thump_ when he was thinking about Seto Kaiba?

Jou risked a glance at Seto and to his surprise, _Seto _was looking straight at him as well. Seto, noticing that Jou had finally looked his way, gave Jou a small—_a really small, tiny, microscopic_—smile, was it even a smile? Jou could have sworn that he saw Seto's lips curve slightly at the end of his lips, but he couldn't be sure. Still, to be on the safe side, Jou quickly turned his attention towards a couple that was walking past their table and to his delight, Jou noticed that the waiter was coming towards them with a plate that looked suspiciously like hot and delicious food.

"Mr. Kaiba, your order, sir," the waiter said politely, placing the dish in front of Seto, "and here's some utensils. I hope you are satisfied and if you need anything, please call for me."

Jou opened his mouth to ask where _his _utensils were but the waiter vanished and left so fast that it was as if he wasn't even there. Jou closed his mouth and glared at the waiter's back murderously, wishing that his eyes could shoot fireballs.

Seto, Jou noticed, had already begun cutting up the piece of meat. Jou wondered how exactly they were going to share if first off, they didn't have any plates, second, Jou didn't have a fork, a knife, or even a spoon, and third, if Seto decided to ignore his presence.

"Great," Jou mumbled underneath his breath, disliking Mokuba for putting him in this situation and hating the waiter _and _he wasn't very fond of Seto for ignoring him either.

So, was Jou just going to watch him eat and be jealous and envious? That would not be good, not for him or his stomach, which was starting to make this funny noise that sounded an awful lot like grumbling.

Seto finished cutting his meat and finally gave Jou his attention. Seto's eyes looked after at his spot and at last, noticed Jou's predicament. "Why didn't you ask for some utensils, or even a plate?" he asked in a condescending tone.

"He left before I could," Jou answered back, not liking how Seto's face turned from neutrality to what looked like pure delight, seeing how Seto had started to smirk at him just as Jou had finished talking.

"I see," he said simply. Seto put his knife down and then added, "I guess I have to feed you then, hm?"

Jou's eyes widened and quickly shook his head. "No, that's okay, I'm not that hungry really, I just came because Mokuba asked me to and—" he was babbling and rambling, but he didn't care. Under no circumstances was Seto Kaiba going to feed him.

"You're not hungry?"

"Of course I'm not!" Jou insisted, just as his stomach decided to fail and rebel against him, letting out a low growl.

Seto's smirk widened even more. "I believe you. So you wouldn't mind if I ate all of this," his hands beckoning towards the plate full of food, "by myself? And not let you have _any_? That's nice of you, puppy," his voice sounding husky and yet somewhat tempting.

"Cause I don't mind if I ate this all by myself." To prove his point, Seto delicately took his fork and stabbed a broccoli, putting it in his mouth, his blue eyes practically dancing with amusement at Jou's torture.

His stomach rebelling once more, Jou gave stifled a groan of defeat and moved from his seat across from Seto to the one next to him. "Can I have some?" Jou asked, his voice sounding like a ten year old.

"Certainly." Seto took his fork and scooped up some mashed potatoes. Seto gave him another triumphant smirk as he leaned towards the blonde, making Jou's heart thump faster and faster at how close he was, and placed the fork closer to his mouth.

"Thanks Kaiba," Jou mumbled, his taste buds liking the taste of the creamy mashed potatoes.

"A master's got to look after his puppy, pup," Seto told him, getting more mashed potatoes, but then frowned. "You're so messy, you got something on your cheek. How is that possible?"

"I do?" Jou reached for his napkin but Seto beat him. Seto took his own towel and started to wipe away the potato left behind, his eyes staring straight into Jou's. Jou could feel his heart accelerating once more. When Seto finished brushing it away with his towel, Seto touched his cheek softly, with his hand and Jou felt Seto's eyes bore into his, wondering how his touch could make him feel so hot all of the sudden...

"All gone," Seto said, pulling his hand away to Jou's disappointment. "Messy puppy," he teased, his voice full of playfulness and Jou breathed a sigh of relief and Jou opened his mouth as Seto placed more food inside.

As Jou started to chew, he looked at Seto carefully and saw how his hair was placed perfectly against his eyes and Jou felt his cheeks turn red again, not due to embarrassment though. Suddenly, he felt a rush of gratitude towards Mokuba for inviting him and then for leaving them two alone. Suddenly, he felt the tiny butterflies in his stomach coming alive again—butterflies he had not felt in so long with anybody. And suddenly, he felt as if nothing else in the world mattered—not his father being sick, not his sister ignoring him, _nothing_. The only thing that mattered to Jou at that very moment was appreciating and savoring the time he had with Seto, knowing that it might not ever happen again.

_He looks so perfect_, Jou thought as he saw Seto turn his attention back at him, with that microscopic smile on his face again.

* * *

They finished the food quickly—_too quickly _in Jou's opinion. He could hardly stop himself from feeling disappointed that it was all over so soon as they were walking in the parking lot to get to the car. It started out badly, but ended in such a great way Jou never would have thought was possible. But he was glad it did.

As Jou was putting his seat belt on, Seto put his keys in the ignition, but didn't start it. Instead, he sat there, staring out the window before saying, "I'm sorry Mokuba dragged you into this."

Jou glanced up, shocked and appalled. "Mokuba dragged me? He didn't..."

"He did." For some reason, Seto's voice had turned cold, icy, and emotionless. Jou felt his good mood diminishing, wondering what had triggered Seto to go back into that defensive shell and interior, wishing that Seto hadn't.

"You didn't want to be here with me today and that's understandable. I'll make sure Mokuba does not pull that stunt again. You will not have to see me more than it is necessary, rest assured."

"No really, it's—"

Seto started the car and started to back out, cutting Jou off. It was as if Seto was telling Jou that there was nothing else left to discuss, ending the conversation and leaving them in that awkward and dreadful silence once more.

They didn't talk at all during the entire ride back to Kaiba Corp.

* * *

They didn't talk when they got back to the corporation either. Jou worked all afternoon, trying to place all his energy and frustration into what he had to finish. Whenever he thought about Seto, he felt a familiar pang in his stomach and a sense of regret that he forced himself to work even harder.

How could things change so fast? One minute, Seto was playfully feeding Jou and the next, he's back to his old self. Jou thought that things were going to change yet apparently, it wasn't, at least, not any time soon.

He worked so hard that he hadn't even noticed that it was time to go until his phone rang and it was his father, reminding him to come home earlier this time. Jou shut his computer off and started tidying his office up, even though he knew his office would be just as messy as it was before the next day.

As Jou was locking his door, he realized that maybe if he _talked _to Seto and explained the situation to him, it would be much easier. Maybe he could get Seto to let is guard down, _for once_.

It was worth a shot.

With a renewed sense of hope, Jou hurried to his door and knocked cautiously. He waited for Seto give him the okay, but he didn't hear anything. He knocked again and said loudly, "Kaiba? Are you in there?"

No answer. Strange, Seto rarely left his office for anything. Jou let himself in. The first thing he noticed was the fact that while everything looked normal, nothing out of place, Seto himself was missing, but he had left his computer running and all the lights on. Where would he go? If he had left early (which Jou doubted because Seto Kaiba never took any breaks and never left early ever), he would have turned everything off. He wouldn't leave his office unattended.

Just as Jou was going to leave, he heard a sound coming from the private restroom Seto had in his office. Thinking he must be in there, he quickly walked over there and knocked. "Kaiba? Are you okay in there?"

No answer. Jou tried the door and noticed that it was unlocked. He let himself in carefully and cautiously. It was the first time inside the fancy restroom (with a shower and everything) and it looked like the fanciest restroom he will ever be in, but before he could take in the environment, he saw Seto in the corner where the toilet was, leaned over and it sounded as if he was throwing up.

Worried, Jou hurried over there, just as Seto was done. Jou kneeled down and let Seto lean on him as Jou flushed it down (Jou looked away, trying his best not to look at its contents). Jou took some toilet paper and quickly wiped the CEO's mouth. With a steady hand, Jou managed to get Seto off the floor and standing. Jou made sure the brunette was standing firmly on the floor and made sure he wasn't going to fall.

"I'm fine," Seto mumbled, his face looked queasy. In all the years Jou knew him, Jou had never saw Seto look so sick. His eyes had lost all emotion and looked empty; his face was ghostly pale and when he talked, his voice sounded weak and tired, something his voice never sounded.

Ignoring him, Jou led him to the sink and grabbed a paper towel and ran it under some water. He wiped his face with it gently and then disposed of it in the trash can. "Come in," Jou told him in comforting tone, "let's get you out of here."

"I can't," Seto said quietly, his eyes drooping. "I've got a lot of word to do and—"

"That can be taken care of. My main concern is getting you out of here and getting you _home_." As Jou said that, it dawned to him that Jou didn't know where Seto lived and even if he did, his security might rip apart, thinking that he had kidnapped the young CEO.

He placed Seto on the couch as Jou went around turning off the lights and the computer. He even attempted to clean up all the papers on the desk, but soon gave up. Afterwards, Jou went back to Seto and made sure that Seto's arm was around his shoulder. His grip tightened around the brunette's waist. Even though Seto was taller, his head still managed to find comfort in Jou's shoulder and was leaning against it comfortably, something Jou didn't really mind.

"I guess you're coming home with me then, huh?" Jou told the CEO, not sure Seto could even hear him speak. His brown eyes softened as he noticed how vulnerable Seto looked and had never ever seen him show that side to anyone before.

_You're coming home with me._

_

* * *

_

-TBC-

Okay, it's been a month and... twelve days since I last updated this story! Wow! The time certainly flies! What can I say? I've been busy at my new school and boy, it's working me like a dog! (lol, like Jou huh?) It'll take some time for me to get used to... it's hard for me to find time to update nowadays.

Anyway, I guess I'll give you a heads up that I probably won't update as often as I used to because I've got too many things to worry and stress about! But I'm still alive (yesss ma'am) and I still love Seto/Jou so... yeah. :)

So the plot gets... err... less unique. Oh well... I need ideas... I'm stuck! –cries- Hope you guys like this chapter anyways.

As always, leave a review, give me an E-hug, etc.

-lilrubydevil-


	5. A Night Away From All Formality

The person who owns all rights to Yu-Gi-Oh is a guy... I'm a girl... do the math...

* * *

Jou's job started out as a temporary one, just until he got the one he really wanted. He had planned on leaving after two months to work in the US, but things have changed. He couldn't leave now. Not when he loves Seto and… he's almost sure that Seto loves him.

* * *

**Until You Need Me**

_A Night Away From All Formality_

_

* * *

_

Drawing the curtains, tidying up the room, turning off the lights and the computer (oh, Jou could imagine what the CEO would have to say if he left the beloved computer on for the entire day) was the easy part. With all that done, Jou would have thought he was out of predicaments, yet, he soon realized he was in another predicament, one much harder and uneasy to manage.

How was _he _supposed to get _him _to his place _without _attracting attention?

Huh.

"Come on, you lanky (or maybe not, never mind), blue eyed man," Jou muttered as he struggled to lock the door behind him while still keeping Seto's arm over his shoulders. That was easy enough, considering that now, the CEO had gotten used to the blonde being there and had just started to lean against Jou, his eyes closed as if asleep. Jou had no idea how Seto managed to fall asleep while standing up next to a human bed. He must have been really tired or really sick or both.

_Stupid Kaiba_, Jou thought was he got in the elevator. _You just HAD to continue working, didn't you? You couldn't have thought of maybe going home for once instead of working under such circumstances? Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Jou continued his chanting inside of his head even after he was in the elevator. He silently hoped on his way down that no one would decide to use the elevator to get to the first floor, but his hopes came crashing down when somewhere around the seventeenth floor, the elevator stopped and Jou gulped as the doors opened and he saw three or four employees all dressed to leave staring at him.

One man, whom Jou recognized as the man whom he had overheard about his lack of credibility for the job on his first day, had an expression that resembled disgust and annoyance. His lips were curled into something nasty as if the sight was so horrible and Jou could see that his grip on the briefcase had tightened. The others had a look on their face much less astonishing, but were all disapproving either way.

Jou, whose face was turning red, wrapped his arm around Seto's waist even tighter and his temper had finally reached his peak and said loudly in a tone, "What? You've never seen a human being helping another person before?"

Perhaps it was the sight of Jou holding onto the boss or maybe it was Jou himself, but they seemed to hide their faces and got in, moving towards the corner away from Jou and Seto. Jou pressed his finger against the elevator button and leaned against the wall once more, making sure that the CEO was not falling, for he was still fast asleep, his breathing was even throughout the entire time.

When the elevator finally reached the end, Jou almost breathed a sigh of relief, glad the hard part was over. He waited until the others left first before he stuck out his tongue towards the particular man whom he now officially hated. _Jerk._

Surprisingly, no one questioned why the most important person of Domino City was hanging onto a blonde in the middle of the street, but Jou didn't mind. He just hailed a taxi and got in the backseat, laying the CEO down so that now, he had an appropriate place to lie down in and rest.

Jou sat in the back with him and gave the driver the address, ignoring the driver's questions as to why he was with Seto Kaiba. Jou wasn't surprised that the driver knew who Seto was. He kept ignoring the driver until he finally got fed up and told him to shut up and to mind his own business.

Jou had carefully placed Seto's head on Jou's scarf, which made a nice pillow on his lap. He looked down on Seto's face most of the time, noticing how peaceful he looked, despite the sick appearance. Jou took his hand and stroked the CEO's cheek softly and brushed away Seto's hair from covering his eyes. Jou's lips curved into a smile.

Then, as if reading Jou's thoughts, Seto shifted slightly and turned his face, but not before Jou caught a smile on the brunette's face. The smile wasn't the microscopic, small, and unrecognizable one that Jou often saw, but a genuine one.

He must be having a wonderful dream.

Just was Jou was drifting off to sleep due to the long and exhausting ride back home, he felt Seto move and Jou turned to face him just as Seto's eyes fluttered open, staring straight at him.

Despite Seto's pale and sickly appearance, he immediately noticed his surroundings that were definitely _not _Kaiba Corp. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jou quickly shushed him. "I'm just going to take you someplace else for the night, all right? I know you don't like me and all, but you're _sick_ Kaiba! And you were—"

Before he even finished the sentence, Seto closed his eyes back again and moved very slightly—a movement that resembled a nod. Jou took this is a sign that he understood and relaxed, leaning back against the seat.

Even though they were in a dirty cab, even though Jou was tired and aching throughout the entire trip, and even though Jou knew that Seto may not forgive him for doing this, it suddenly seemed as if it all seemed worth the trouble.

"Driver?" Jou asked softly, still staring at Seto's face and playing with the other's auburn hair. His eyes couldn't tear away from his face and Jou couldn't stop smiling as he continued to stare at Seto. "Can you drive slower? Just... a bit slower, that's all."

* * *

Jou placed Seto delicately on his bed and started to cover him with the blanket, after carefully managing to change the young man's clothes into his pajamas. It wasn't hard; he was used to doing this when his father often came home a little bit more drunk than Jou would have preferred. It was easier to change Seto though—yes, his trench coat was heavy and it was hard taking off the belt—but because of Jou's skills and Seto's weight (he was much lighter than his father!), it was quicker and Jou was able to get him comfortable. It was also a good thing that Seto had an undershirt underneath his blazer.

He had decided that it was best not to try to get Seto out of his pants. He felt strange already putting on a nice, comfortable sweater, but changing his pants? He was very uncomfortable at the thought of seeing his boss or the man of his thoughts in his, err, _undergarments_, but actually doing it made him feel much queasier. He decided that it would be inappropriate to do so.

Though Jou was quite experienced in changing people in their sleep, Seto woke up couple of times, due to Jou's movements, curses, and who knows what else, but Seto went back to sleep easily.

After Jou did all that, he called Mokuba (it was lucky that Seto had his cell phone with him in his trench coat pocket), telling him about where Seto was headed. Since Mokuba was out with his friends barhopping, Jou had to repeat himself three times to be heard. Mokuba sounded less worried than he normally would have been. He first told Jou that he would come right away to pick his brother up, but after Jou's reasoning about how late it was at night and perhaps Jou's persuasive attitude, Mokuba allowed Jou to care for Seto for the night, only if Mokuba could somehow repay Jou.

Jou took a seat next the brunette's legs on the edge of his bed, wondering about what he should do next. He knew he should get ready to sleep, but he had to wonder... _where _exactly was he going to sleep?

His apartment was tidy, clean, and organized, but not necessarily the largest or the roomiest. His couch was the tiny and could barely fit two people to a seat, let alone make a comfortable bed. Jou stared longingly at the spot next to the CEO, thinking that perhaps he could just sleep there and wake up early the next morning before the CEO noticed.

_No. I can't do that; that would be inappropriate. Besides, Kaiba might be homophobic or... he just might have a problem sleeping the same bed as another man._

With a disappointed, but decided, sigh, Jou got off the bed and went inside to the connecting bathroom, already deciding to take out his sleeping bag and camping in front of the television.

Better than nothing right?

* * *

At around one in the morning, Jou finally managed to fall asleep. It was hard to fall asleep. In the past few hours, he had to tend to Seto throwing up in his bathroom for a grand total of at least six times (he lost count) in the past few hours. After Seto threw up the first time, Jou handed the other a pair of his sweat pants so that he could change and get more comfortable, though it did not matter much. Seto ended up waking up frequently to run to the bathroom.

Then, when Seto finally calmed down again and when Jou finally got Seto back into bed, he had to deal with the fact that despite the two blankets underneath him and despite the sleeping bag, the floor was quite harder than he thought.

Jou, who was dreaming about donuts he had been craving, felt a breeze passing his face. He sat up from the hard floor, rubbing his eyes sleepily. His eyes fluttered open and he saw Seto, sitting at his simple dining table, all covered with the mail, newspaper, and other papers scattered about.

"Kaiba?" Jou asked in a tired tone, standing up, heading towards the brunette's way. "What are you doing up? You're sick! You need some rest!"

Seto shook his head as Jou yawned, pulling the chair out so that he could sit. "I'm used to it. I'm fine, really. It must have been Mokuba's snacks he brought over when he came and visited. I love my brother, but I forgot how dreadful and dangerous his cooking is."

Jou laughed quietly, reaching over to turn on the lamp nearby. "Things we do for our siblings, huh?" he replied lightly. "But really, you should go back to sleep. Or maybe you are hungry...? I make a really awesome egg!"

Seto shook his head once more. "No, that is not necessary. I'm not hungry at all. I just wanted to get something to drink." He raised the cup of water he had poured himself and took a sip.

"Oh, all right then." Jou didn't feel like arguing and he could feel his eyelids drooping. "In that case, I'll just go back to sleep if you don't mind. I'm really tired." He stifled a yawn. "Don't stay up too late, okay? Just leave the cup in the sink and I'll wash it. It is really late after all."

Jou stood up and Seto watched as Jou made his way back to his sleeping bag. Before Jou lay back down and attempted to get comfortable, he stopped drinking and spoke up.

"You can have the bed. It's not obligatory that I have the bed. It is yours after all and I'm intruding. It is my fault that you are sleeping poorly and that you are getting barely any rest. The floor is quite painful. I shall have the sleeping bag."

This time, it was Jou's turn to shake his head. "No, no! You're not intruding at all, really. Besides, I'm used to it." He saw Seto's disbelieving expression and then admitted, "Okay, so I'm _not _used to it, but face it, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have a job! And I owe you, remember? For the meal and the job and probably more in the future? I owe you a lot. Nah, don't worry about it. I'm more than fine."

Seto got off from his chair and moved to Jou's resting place so fast that Jou could have sworn Seto disapparated, just like they do in Harry Potter. "I insist. It's the least I could do. The light might blind you and I must have caused you a lot of trouble," Seto continued, beckoning towards the bed.

Before Jou could shake his head again, Seto said, "Then will you at least sleep on the bed next to me? That way we can both have a good night's rest, whatever is left of it at least. The bed is big enough for the both of us, and I'm sure the blanket will cover us both. Also, I've noticed that are two pillows on the bed."

"Kaiba, I'm—" How could Jou say this delicately without refusing too rudely? It was bad enough that Jou was getting those funny little feelings he had back in high school, but to get _more _funny feelings and _more _thoughts about Seto? He wasn't sure if it was good to be having that many thoughts about his boss, Seto Kaiba. He didn't want to stir any _old_ high school crushes—no matter how little or small it may be. Though it was what Jou would have preferred and wanted to do since the floor really _was _harder than he imagined, his reasoning, logic, and conscience wouldn't let him.

"...not sure it's appropriate?" Seto completed the sentence for him, saving Jou from thinking up of a reasonable excuse. "Or do you perhaps hate the thought of sleeping beside me? Or... a man?"

Why must Seto ask the questions Jou wanted to ask _Seto_? At least now he knew that Seto wasn't homophobic or that he did not hate homosexuals. It was good thing too because if he did, that would mean he would hate Jou and Jou knew he wouldn't like for the brunette to hate him.

"That's not it," Jou hurried to say. _If only I could tell you why. If only _I _could tell myself why. I guess I just don't want things for us to be awkward because... what if if happens again and I get my—my... _

"Then would you?" Seto asked softly, staring straight into Jou's brown eyes in the slightest, _slightest_, pleading tone. "Just so that I could feel better about occupying your entire evening and troubling you...?"

Jou felt a tiny blush spread across his face. He felt himself weakening against Seto's stare, words, and tone. He pretended to scratch his head to give himself some time, but realized that if Seto was actually _asking _him and this _was _what he wanted to do...

"Are you sure?"

To Jou's astonishment, Seto started to smile. "Pup, this _is _your place in case you've forgotten. _I _should be the one asking if it's all right with you, not the other way around." Seto started to chuckle softly. "You can be so cute sometimes."

Jou felt his blush turn brighter. To distract Seto from noticing the blush, Jou said, "Let me turn off the light then. You go on ahead."

Jou walked past him and turned the switch off. He pretended to linger for a while, pretending that he had to push the chair back inside to calm his nerves and get rid of the blush. He waited when he heard Seto walking away to the bedroom. When he finally thought it was safe, he headed slowly towards the small bedroom and saw that Seto was already on his side of the bed.

Jou climbed into the warm but _comfy _bed. He felt grateful for Seto for allowing him to sleep on the bed. Jou leaned to face the window, turning away from Seto. He was almost positive that Seto could see through his pounding heart and almost hear the denials going through his head. Even though Jou knew it was impossible, he didn't want to risk doing something stupid and he figured that if Seto couldn't _see _him, he had less chances of doing so.

_I don't like him_, Jou thought, his brown eyes wide open. _Things are different now. Back in high school, _maybe_ I had the _tiniest_ crush on him and I'm not even sure it wasn't _even _a crush. More like admiration and envy. But even if I did, it wouldn't matter if he knew or not since we would have been going our separate ways but now... _Jou felt a churn of worry in his stomach. _Things are much more different. We're not kids anymore and..._

"Good night Jou."

_...I'm starting to care too much._

_

* * *

_

-TBC-

Long time no update! So sorry, really... T.T

Also, sorry if this was a bit rushed. (Seemed a bit to me) Next chapter will be up within two weeks and this time, I mean it because I feel bad for keeping you guys waiting.

-lilrubydevil-


	6. Bacon and Gratitude Mixed with Affection

If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, the ratings will go WAY up. Like... Rated R. Eh, point is, I don't own it.

* * *

Jou's job started out as a temporary one, just until he got the one he really wanted. He had planned on leaving after two months to work in the US, but things have changed. He couldn't leave now. Not when he loves Seto and… he's almost sure that Seto loves him.

* * *

**Until You Need Me**

_Bacon Bits and Gratitude Mixed in with Affection_

_

* * *

_

Even before Jou's alarm went off, Jou was already awake. Despite this, his eyes remained closed. He could feel the sun's warmth and the rays on his face; he could almost visualize the outside view of his apartment and knew that it was time to get up.

His eyes fluttered open and he turned to the side, away from the sun and saw that Seto, only a few centimeters away from him. To Jou's surprise, his eyes were already awake. Jou had been hoping to get up early and make breakfast before the other had awakened, but obviously, he was not up long enough. Jou noticed Seto's small yet slightly amused smile first and wondered how long Seto had been up watching him.

"Have a good night sleep?" Seto asked softly while he sat up on the bed, his hair all messy and tousled in a way Jou did not ever expect to see. It was a nice revelation though; seeing Seto in a different way that no one did (except Mokuba probably) made him feel privileged and special, as if he had past some sort of test to be able to see Seto this way, in his not so perfect yet still amazing state.

Jou nodded. "Why don't you go ahead and wash your face first," he suggested, sitting up as well, leaning against his wall. "There are some unused toothbrushes in the cabinet to your right. I better go start up breakfast I suppose."

As Seto headed off towards the bathroom, Jou yawned loudly as he made his way to the kitchen, opening his refrigerator, automatically reaching for the orange juice he normally drank in the morning, but then paused. He remembered Seto's request every morning for black coffee.

_Oh yeah, he likes coffee in the morning. How could I forget? _Jou shut the door and proceeded to make some coffee. It was a good thing he remembered to buy some more coffee mix last week, even though he didn't really like to drink it himself.

"Oh hey Kaiba," Jou greeted when he heard Seto's footsteps moving towards him. "Just sit down for a second, all right? All I need is to get some cups for us and then I can start cooking, unless you want to eat out. I don't mind really."

"No, I'm fine." Seto walked behind him Jou. "It's taking you quite some time to make some coffee. Something distracting you? Normally, you could get me a cup in no time."

Could Seto tell that Jou was feeling conflicted at the moment? That Jou wasn't sure whether or not he liked Seto the way he back in high school? Whether he liked Seto _that _way or not? Wait, what was he talking about? He didn't like Seto, no of course not. He just got a little bit confused, that's all.

He thought so at least.

Jou laughed meekly. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a bit sleepy. I'm not used to having someone sleep next to me you know."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Really? I myself would have thought that you would have had countless girlfriends, coming over to spend the night with you."

_You think that _I _have countless girlfriends? Isn't it ironic that _you _think that _I _have girlfriends sleeping with me when _I _think that _you _have all sorts of girls wanting to spend the night with _you

"No!" Jou said loudly, a bit _too _loudly for his liking. "I mean, no," he corrected himself quickly. "I'm not-I'm not like that. I don't believe in having people over for the night like... _that_. I'm not that kind of person really. And you don't have to believe me but that's who I am and...yeah." _Way to go Jou. Babble and talk on like an idiot. That will impress him, definitely. _

To Jou's amazement, Seto laughed. "I've never seen you get so rattled, pup." Jou felt that familiar _thump_ when he heard Seto say the word 'pup' in such a jokingly and relaxed way. "Don't worry, I wouldn't think any less of you did."

"Really, I don't—"

"I can get the cups for you, save us the time," Seto interrupted.

"Thanks, that's probably a good idea." _To change the subject_, he added to himself silently. "You know where they are right?"

"I know. I got a cup of water last night," Seto responded smoothly. He leaned closer to Jou, whose body almost came in contact with Seto's and Jou had to fight to keep his breathing normal. Seto's arm snaked in front of Jou's, trying to reach for the cup. He pulled his arm back, his hand holding two mugs. His face settled next to Jou's and he said in a husky tone, "You need this right?"

"Rr-right," Jou stuttered, feeling very, _very _relieved when Seto moved back away from him. At the same time however, he still felt very strange and somewhat naked, having Seto in his apartment, in his kitchen. He would have preferred it if Seto went to sit down _away _from him so that he could breathe normally like used to again.

He started to pour coffee into the cups, just so that he could do something to distract him from Seto's presence. He handed a mug to Seto without turning around, afraid and terrified that his expression told Seto all his thoughts he had running in his head, both that morning and last night.

_I'm not being too obvious am I? I hope I'm not. No, I'm not because if I am he would tell me right? Wouldn't he be out of here by now? Or is he just being nice? Wait, would he even... oh he can't know...no of course he's not! Oh, Jou, shut up!_

"So," Jou said brightly, catching Seto's attention and taking Seto's arm. He started to lead him away from his small kitchen to the couch. "You," he beckoned for him to sit down. "Stay here. I can't cook while someone's watching me and you don't want another incident like Mokuba and his cooking do you?"

"You can't cook when—"

"Yup! Besides, I better go brush my teeth off first so sit here and sip your coffee for a while, okay? I promise that I can cook really, really fast and that it would be decent. Just sit tight."

Before Jou could embarrass himself any further, he burst into his bathroom and closed the door behind him, trying to calm himself down. What was he doing? Why did he talk so much? Why did Seto have to make him feel so darn nervous and why did he have to make Jou ramble on?

_And why, oh why, does Seto Kaiba have this effect on me? Why do I feel as if I need to _impress _him? Why can't I just speak normally and seem SANE for once in my life like I am with Yugi? _

"It's because he's my boss," Jou said out loud to himself, deciding at once. "Yeah, that's it. He's my employer and I have to get him to like me well enough to keep me. Because if I don't, I'm kind of screwed so that's the reason why. Yeah, of course, why am I freaking out? I don't like Seto Kaiba _that _way."

His words were a comfort and relief to Jou—for a second. Even while Jou was brushing his teeth, Jou couldn't help but wonder if he should change into something better. He criticized himself for choosing such a poor choice of clothing last night. He had to look presentable to the boss after all, even if it was at his own place.

"All right, are you ready for my famous eggs or what?" Jou asked in a light tone as he came back to join Seto. He opened his mouth to say more but then paused when he noticed that Seto wasn't sitting down anymore and that his coffee cup was lying there, untouched.

He heard Seto curse to himself (something Jou never thought was possible!) and walked further towards the kitchen area and saw that Seto was behind the stove, making some pancakes. To the left of Seto were two plates that had eggs and bacon, already cooked and ready to go. Jou's mouth fell open in shock. "You shouldn't have to cook; that is my job as a host! You should be sitting down and letting me take care of it!"

Seto placed the pancake on one of the plates and proceeded to the next one. "Just because it is your apartment doesn't mean that I'm not entitled to do my part. You helped me out last night and I owe you. It's the least I can do."

"Kaiba, that's really nice, but I feel bad..."

"Don't." Seto turned off the stove and wiped his hand on the apron he was wearing. He took a plate and glided towards Jou's direction. He gave Jou the smile that he would give to Mokuba and Jou felt the butterflies in his stomach more than ever. Seto used one of his long and delicate fingers to pick up a small piece of bacon. "Try some," Seto urged him gently, moving the small bacon towards Jou's lips.

Jou opened his mouth and stared straight into Seto's blue eyes as Seto placed the bacon in his mouth. He bit down on it. The bacon was good, really good. Jou had a feeling that if he had cooked, his breakfast would not have turned out half as good as Seto's had.

"I didn't know you could cook," Jou told him, still gazing into Seto's eyes.

"There is lot of things about me that you do not know," Seto replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "So, how was it? Do you like it?"

Jou nodded. "I think it's great, fantastic. It's really good."

Seto used his free hand and brushed some of Jou's blonde strands away from his eyes for the second time. Though Jou had experienced this before, he couldn't stop himself from feeling shy and hearing that little voice in his head going, _He's more than just a boss to you... you can't hide that feeling that somewhere deep inside of you, you want there to be something else between you two... more than just a professional relationship..._

"I think it's good too," Seto finally said after their minute of silence. "And I'm not talking about the bacon either, Jou."

"What else is good then?" Jou asked, not catching on to the meaning of the CEO's words. And no, he had not missed the fact that Seto had called him Jou instead of pup for the first time...

"Come on, let's eat," Seto said.

* * *

"So what happened next?"

Jou sat down and took a sip from his water bottle. "Nothing."

Yugi took a seat next to him, wiping his sweat from his forehead. "What do you mean _nothing_? You can't exactly tell me that you and Seto Kaiba, your arch _enemy _had breakfast together in _your _apartment after spending the night at _your _place and then say that nothing happened. Don't mind me for not believing you."

Jou swallowed his water, pausing to watch some people pass them by. Yugi was waiting for an answer he knew and he didn't know how to explain it without sounding too complicated. Truth was that he wasn't exactly sure how to explain it either.

After breakfast, Seto had suggested that they get to know each other more, spending some time outside of the office. "It's natural to get to know your employees don't you agree?" he had asked Jou right before Mokuba came to pick him up. "We should schedule to meet sometime, for Mokuba's sake. He would love to catch up with you as well. Yesterday didn't really count, considering he had left early."

Jou had to wonder whether Seto was really talking about Mokuba. Did he really ask Jou to hang out because _Mokuba _needed to catch up with him? On one hand, Jou was sure that Seto wouldn't ask him for the hell of out it because he most likely wasn't interested but on the other hand... how he hoped...

Yugi, deciding to let Jou off the hook, started to talk again. "All right, I get it, you don't want to tell me, that is fine with me. But I have to admit that I'm surprised you're not more talkative about this."

"What do you mean?" Jou's attention was diverted back to Yugi's again.

"If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that you liked it."

"Liked _what_? Exactly _what _are you talking about?"

"It," Yugi answered simply. "You know, hanging out with Kaiba like that. You would have wanted it back in high school definitely. I can't believe that you had to wait several years before you finally make a move."

"Okay, now I _really _don't know what you're talking about."

"Please Jou. I'm one of your best friends, I know when you have a soft spot for someone and Seto Kaiba is one of them. Even back in high school, I could tell. You were always protesting and denying it though but since I'm me, I can see these sorts of things."

"What has Yami been doing to you, Yuge? I thought you used to be the clueless and naive one in the gang!"

"Ha," Yugi laughed humorlessly. "Very funny. But I'm right aren't I? You're not even denying it right now which proves how good I am at this."

"Yugi, I do not like Seto Kaiba, despite what you think. He is my employer and we work together, that is all. We cannot have a relationship that is beyond professional. Besides, he wouldn't like and that's fine because I don't have any feelings for him at all either!" Jou said this for Yugi's benefit, but mostly, for his. Though he knew that Yugi's words had some truth to them, he was still trying to reason with himself that what he felt was purely professional and all for business. It was good to care about your fellow manager after all. That just proved what kind of person Jou was.

"All right," Yugi said. "But hey, it's not every day that you find someone who can cook pancakes that well because face it Jou, even though you buy that mix, you always manage to mess it up somehow."

Jou smacked him on the head.

* * *

-TBC-

That's more than two weeks wasn't it? Ugh, I'm sorry, I've been pushing it. But the goods news is that I'm only ONE week late! Better one week late than several months right? (I give up giving myself deadlines for chapters... don't want to let people down too much)

I had major writer's block on this chapter which may explain Yugi's entrance to the story. I think that I was trying to emphasize Jou's crush on Seto even way back in high school and the fact that he was the person to deny these kinds of things (like fate with Seto!). Hoped it wasn't TOO useless or pointless though...

How was this chapter anyway?

Review and I will forever appreciate you. XD

-lilrubydevil-


	7. As Easy as Uneasiness Gets

Not a lot has been changed, especially whether or not I own Yu-Gi-Oh. That hasn't changed one bit.

* * *

Jou's job started out as a temporary one, just until he got the one he really wanted. He had planned on leaving after two months to work in the US, but things have changed. He couldn't leave now. Not when he loves Seto and… he's almost sure that Seto loves him.

* * *

**Until You Need Me**

_As Easy as Uneasiness Gets_

_

* * *

_

The car ride on the way home was almost silent. Mokuba kept glancing over at Seto with questioning glances and every time he opened his mouth, Seto was positive that Mokuba wanted to comment on something or ask something about either the bad food that landed Seto in this predicament in the first place _or _a question Seto _did_n't want to answer because he didn't _know _the answer.

Unfortunately, Seto had a feeling that Mokuba wanted to ask the latter. And though they were almost near their destination, Seto knew that before they left the car, they would have THE TALK.

Too bad THE TALK wasn't about the usual, "Mokuba, now that you're almost an adult. When you become an adult, you might come across people that want to explore what it feels like to make babies..."

How Seto wished he could have THAT talk now.

"So," Mokuba started off casually, keeping his eye straight ahead on the road. "How was it at Jou's? Did it okay or did you guys just fought every two seconds?"

"Mokuba," Seto started off sternly as if he was lecturing, "_nothing _happened last night. He was just kind enough to take me home because of _your _cooking and take care of me. That is all. I don't like what you're implying."

Mokuba gave him a "Who, Me?" look before switching lanes. "I wasn't _implying _anything; _you _were. You were implying that _I _was implying something _therefore _something happened last night because _you _are so paranoid about it and my big brother isn't worried about _anything_ like the way you are now _unless _it's something big and important."

Seto turned his face away before Mokuba could give him another satisfied smirk, one that Seto had come to know so well; the smirk that he, himself, gave to Mokuba when Seto knew he had won the argument. Sadly, Seto knew that Mokuba had a right to smirk because despite his brother's twisted logic and reasoning, it still gave him the upper hand and advantage.

When Seto didn't say anything, Mokuba prompted on cheerfully, teasing his brother happily. Mokuba was glad to finally have something to tease his brother about, even it meant getting the death threats later on. "I'm not saying that anything _did _happen at Jou's and I'm just saying that if something _did_, it's okay to tell me, you know, because we're brothers and all."

"Nothing happened Mokuba," Seto reassured him, his thoughts sliding away from the conversation. As he stared out the window, he tried to listen to Mokuba's mumblings in the background, but his mind took him away from the car ride home and back inside the apartment of Katsuya Jounouchi. As he struggled to listen and ignore his random thoughts, he thought back to what happened last night and how it wasn't at all awkward for him to be there with Jou. Situations like those should have been strange, awkward, and uncomfortable. Seto was Jou's boss; shouldn't last night be something that made him uneasy and queasy? Why did he feel okay about it? Why isn't Seto jumping beside himself, thinking of ways to fire Jou or to avoid him like a mad cow disease?

_Why wasn't it strange? _Seto questioned himself, _why was it so easy to make breakfast for him? Why did I even feel _compelled _to make breakfast for him? Is it just a polite thing to do or—is this even normal? Is this even _right_? I'm his _boss, _his employer. Should I be okay feeling this way, feeling like maybe we can be like that around each other?_

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Seto remembered the clueless look on Jou's face when he had discovered that Seto was cooking. He recalled the look that Jou gave him when Jou came out of the bathroom and saw Seto holding a plate full of food. Jou's lips had curved into a circle and his brown eyes had widened at the sight of the food. It was so cute, so confused! _Just like a puppy_, Seto thought to himself, smiling softly.

"AH HA!"

Seto jumped up slightly startled and turned his head to see Mokuba's all knowing look and smug expression. "Something _did_ happen! Why else would you be smiling like a maniac? Come on, tell me. Spill. You can't tell me nothing happened."

"Eyes on the road, Mokuba."

"Whatever, we're here anyways," Mokuba said, pulling into the driveway. He turned off the engine and looked at Seto with an excited expression on his face. "Well? Come on! You were just smiling like you were off to dreamland or something. You can't _not _tell me!"

Seto unbuckled his seat beat hesitantly, trying to buy himself time. He carefully avoided his brother's persistent gaze. He brushed his hair back and responded, "It wasn't as bad as it could have been."

Seto got out of the car and started to wake away really quickly, with Mokuba screaming at him, "_That's it! That's all you're going to tell me! What kind of a big brother are you!"_

Apparently, a really bad one.

"SETO KAIBA, GET BACK HERE!"

* * *

The weekend quickly passed and Seto found himself feeling jittery and anxious. He was now at work, sitting at desk, staring at a computer screen with no files up and running. Seto hadn't even checked his email or messages yet, something he did first thing in the morning. Instead, he was tapping his fingers, scratching his chin, biting his lip—anything to avoid starting work.

Seto's thoughts were still plagued by the blonde like an irritating song that won't go away, except for the fact that his thought weren't necessarily annoying in any way. It was more perplexing and complicated. Seto felt uneasy at the thought of seeing Jou again after spending that night over at his place. However, at the same time, Seto was wondering if something like that could ever happen again.

_Could it? _He took a sip of the nasty coffee he had brought on the way from home to work, nearly gagging at how terrible it tasted after it had gone cold. He suddenly wanted to have Jou at work. Though it was still fifteen minutes until Jou had to come in, Seto suddenly couldn't wait to taste Jou's hot yet exactly right coffee on his lips and tongue.

But more importantly, he wanted to talk to the blonde. He wanted to get all the uneasiness, discomfort, or what other feelings out of the way and proceed back to normal.

Because normal was good.

_And we could just turn to our very professional relationship. Nothing more._

"Good morning!"

Seto looked up from his computer screen to see Jou walking towards him, holding his mug out in front of him. "Good morning," Seto responded, relieving the coffee from Jou's hand. "You're early today."

"Yeah, I am. I figured since I'm up anyways, I might as well get here on time. Do you need me to do anything right now? I can go finish up some paperwork or work on the design you've been meaning to do."

Jou's voice was very enthusiastic and he was practically bouncing up and down with energy. His eyes were practically dancing in the light and Seto had to fight the urge to laugh at the sight of him, wondering why he was like that that morning. He opened his mouth to say something back lightly to him along the lines of, "Why are you so energetic today, something good happen?" but had to stop himself. He knew that if he got into a light hearted conversation with Jou that he might never stop and it might be like that morning all over again.

As wonderful as the conversation was, he didn't want to seem like he was pursuing anything other than a formal relationship. He didn't want Jou to get the wrong idea that maybe Seto was looking for something else, something that wasn't related to business. It was Seto's duty as the CEO and employer to keep things strictly related to work.

"I just need you to finish what you started last time," Seto told him instead, in his very formal tone. "If there's anything else, I'll call you back."

Even in Seto's viewpoint, Seto noticed that the blonde's eyes had suddenly dropped and lost its glow. Jou's body seemed to tighten and Jou lost his enthusiasm. "Okay then," Jou replied in a quiet and proper voice. "I'll be in my room then. Enjoy your coffee."

In that split second, Seto felt that recurring emotion he had been feeling for the past couple of days and Seto knew he had to stop Jou before he left.

"Wait."

When Jou faced him, Seto was at loss of words and he knew he had to act quickly without looking as if he wasn't sure of what he wanted to do. Truth was that he _didn't _know. He wanted to say something to bring that personality back into him, but what?

Then, he remembered something. Last night, Seto had lain in bed all night, replaying that morning's conversation in his head. He distinctly remembered saying to Jou that they should hang out more outside of work.

Maybe Seto was just being to uptight and paranoid earlier, about whether or not it could _be _like that morning. Even if he hung out with Jou willingly in the public outside of the corporation, it could just be a nice, fun, friends-thing to do. It would be okay, it wouldn't exactly be inappropriate. It was normal to get to know your employees on a normal basis. Maybe it didn't have to be that reserved between them.

Besides, he needed to thank Jou for that night when he got sick. Okay, he _wanted_ to thank Jou. Jou deserved a proper thank you and Seto (he had to admit) wanted an excuse to be able to see him in that kind of setting again.

"Are you busy tomorrow night?"

* * *

-TBC-

Three months. That's a new record. I think I need to thank that person who messaged me to update this. I needed to reminder that there are people actually looking forward to this. Thank you!

And also, I sincerely apologize for my lack of lateness. As well, I'm going to apologize in advance for the next couple of months. Finals are approaching and summer isn't here yet! I really need to focus. I may not update until after June or even later. Please, please, PLEASE do not expect a quick update. I know I said I'll try but as you all know, it isn't working. I don't want to sound mean, but it's the truth. I don't want all of you to be disappointed in me (even though you probably are). Please just keep that in mind.

Please, please, please understand. I'm a student first, writer second.

-lilrubydevil-


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